Narrative Summary
Interview with Gloria Menke by Matthew Stublefield
The most challenging aspect of interviewing Gloria Menke was deciding on a location.
Neither of us had strong feelings about where the interview should take place; my suggestions
were met with a happy, noncommittal attitude, while my attempts to select a neutral location
were stymied by an inability to find an available and quiet area. In the end, we met in my office
in Meyer Library on the Missouri State University campus. We spoke for about an hour,
focusing on Gloria’s life, spiritual journey, and family, as well as her commitment to equality
and justice.
Gloria was moved around the country often as a child. In the 1970s at the age of 19, she
settled in Missouri, where she began attending college. Prior to this, Gloria had never really been
involved with any sort of spirituality. She had seen religion, insofar as she had visited a
Methodist youth group with a friend when she was in junior high, but she hadn’t engaged with
Christianity in a meaningful way.
Soon after starting college at Southwest Baptist University, Gloria met her future
husband L. Menke. Most Christians seemed weak, which was frustrating to Gloria who reveled
in intellectualism and a more liberal approach to the world. This man, with his long hair, love of
rock music, and “big Bible in the back seat,” intrigued Gloria. They began discussing theology,
and when he couldn’t provide the answers she sought, he bought her a Bible and encouraged her
to seek them out herself. After meeting with his pastor and still not finding the answers she
hoped for, Gloria prayed a non-believer’s prayer, saying, “Okay, God, I don’t think you’re really
there, but if you are, I’m a seeker of the truth and I want to know the truth. So please show me if
you’re real, if you’re there.” And according to Gloria, God did just that.
Missouri State University
Fall 2010
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women
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Two powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit led Gloria to convert to Christianity—to
be “born again,” as she puts it. Her encounters with the Spirit didn’t end there. Gloria enjoyed
her newfound faith and eventually married that longhaired rocker, but she soon found the church
she was in frustrating. People there seemed to care more about football than God, and Gloria was
looking for something more. She and her husband visited another church that recently started
exploring interactions with the Holy Spirit themselves. Though it took four months of struggling
with her husband to get him to leave their church, they soon began attending this place, which
was more dedicated to prayer and worship.
Over the years, Gloria has exhibited a fierce dedication to homeschooling and to
supporting stay-at-home mothers through her church. She integrates a religious education with
her homeschooling curriculum. Gloria referenced an Old Testament scripture about teaching
children, saying that one should show a child “God’s ways when you rise up, when you lay
down, when you stand.” She believes that as a mentor, the discipler relationship with children is
imperative to help them continue in their relationship with Jesus.
The greatest challenges in Gloria’s life are difficult to communicate in writing. Gloria has
lost two children: one before he was born and one at the age of 17. When she lost her second son,
Gloria asked herself, “Do I believe what I think I believe? Is it real? Is it all not real?” But at that
crossroads, she felt like she had no decision to make. “How could I walk away from God?” she
asked:
How could I walk away from everything I know, even though this was the hardest thing I
had ever gone through in my life? It was devastatingly hard. But I knew God and I trusted
him, and he was faithful [. . . .] And God was just so present and so faithful in so many
ways through that experience that it did nothing but strengthen my faith.
Missouri State University
Fall 2010
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women
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In addition, Gloria struggled with tension between herself and her husband. The tension
began when she wanted to leave their church in college to attend one that did praise and worship,
and it culminated when she read the book Why Not Women?, a publication promoted by
Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) that focuses on gender equality. Gloria recently attended a
CBE conference in Toronto, Canada. She expressed that she is committed to equality for all
Christians in regards to the ability to teach, to interact with the Holy Spirit, and to serve God.
To Gloria, the most important message in Christianity is that people need to have a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In particular, she emphasizes the need for a relationship
rather than a religion. The relationship should not only be between humanity and deity, but
between the individual and humanity as well. She appreciates the request for this interview and
applauds this project for the opportunity it gives younger people to meet with and hear from their
elders. She hopes that the stories will be of benefit to future generations.
Missouri State University
Fall 2010
Religious Lives of Ozarks Women